What No One Wants Knowen
by The Magical Carrot Of Doom
Summary: After getting struck by lightning and surviving with no more then a scratch, Ponyboy finds out the results arn't limited to somthing bandaids can fix; he can read minds. and whoever said that mind-reading is cool and totaly not freaky is a liar.


_I should really be getting home_, I thought as I stared into the darkening sky. A few storm clouds seemed to be forming, which was odd for the summer. Anyways, since a few years ago, When Johnny killed Bob Sheldon ad became paralyzed, Darry has been pretty cool with me staying out, but he sure gets freaked when I stay out to late, and it was almost eleven fifty on a school night. I turned in the direction of home and glanced at the sky; the clouds were closing in, and I started walking faster.

Rain began to fall, thankfully it wasn't very hard, just a drizzle, and I was waring a sweatshirt. Still, I walked a little faster. The rain slowly got harder, until I was soaking and shivering. I looked up through the rain at the sky, hoping the clouds were thinning; they weren't, if anything, they were getting darker.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning. I counted the seconds until I heard thunder, a trick my father had thought me...one, two, three...that wasn't much...i quickened my pace to a jog. Another flash..one, two...damn. I knew the chances of getting hit by lightning were pretty low, but seeing that I was only two blocks away from home relieved me. Another flash, only I couldn't count to one this time. And then another, which I saw. I was flat out running, terrified. I saw lightning hit around me, and for one crazy moment, I felt it was trying to pin-point me. And then it did.

Looking back, I can't remember what it felt like- painful, for sure, but also something ells- something that wasn't quiet numbness, but not a feeling..it was weird. Then I blacked out.

–

when I woke up, I wasn't in enough pain to be alive, so I assumed I was dead. Oh, crap, Darry was going to kill me. Wait...he wouldn't because I was already dead. Fuck! Poor Darry, poor Soda, Poor Johnny, and Two-Bit, and...and Even Dally and Steve. I felt really bad. Especially after what happened to Johnny, who'd killed a man to keep me alive. Especially after Darry had been being so cool, and for two whole years, too! Especial since- "Ponyboy?"

huh? Was that Soda? Or an angel? Maybe all angels sound like you're big brother... "Pony, you up?" up, was that like, heaven slang for ready to go? Still, I felt my eyes open to look at...my ceiling. Okay, not how I imagined heaven.

I heard Soda exhale in relief. "Soda...am I, y'know, alive"

"I sure hope so" he said, as I sat up, "You have a pretty nasty cut, but we cleaned it up and it ain't serious" I felt my head; there was a bandage, but I felt something under it, like a gash.

"So where did you find me?" now that I had concluded I was alive, I wanted to know how I had gone from being struck by lightning (which should have resulted in death, not just a nasty gash) to being in my bed, totally alive.

"Find you? Pony, you came stumbling in around midnight, bleeding pretty badly, scared the shit out of us...don't you remember? Said you bumped you're head..." he looked worried...no, he was worried...suddenly, I felt it. Not like I was worried...i felt that _he_ was. It scared me. Then, just as suddenly as it came, it left. The worry was just a look on his face.

"Oh, um, yeah" I shook my head, and there it was again the worry. Soda's worry mingling with my panic. I pressed my fingers against my temples. It was gone again. This was really freaky. _Gosh, is he okay?_ It was Soda's voice, only he wasn't saying it...it was weird, I couldn't think straight. I ran my hands through my hair so much it pulled at my scalp.

"Pony?" Soda was really worried, I didn't need to look inside his head to see that.

"Yeah...yeah, I just need a moment" I told him shaking my head. Like an annoying fly, Soda thoughts and mien disconnected from each other, and I was just _me_ again.

"Okay, just come down soon, You don't want Darry to freak" he left me alone then.

_Think of something normal_ I told myself, _something you always thing about, like school, or breakfast or Lucy...yeah, Lucy_ and as much as I tried to focus on my latest crush, I couldn't. Even though she had been all I could think about since I saw her and her god-like blond hair and perfect white smile. But, even with the stupid cliches I had came up with to describe her, I couldn't focus but the thought- Soda's, to be exact- about me; wondering if I was okay, thinking about what he should tell Darry- what would make him least concerned- and such. And as awful as it was, and as much as I would never admit it to anyone- I was scared. I tried to shake them out of my head again, but they were more stubborn this time. Then, I caught a new trail of thought...a more uptight trail. Darry's. _What's Soda not telling me? Is it that bad?_ I wanted to yell. This was crazy- I was crazy. I didn't know what was going on. _Maybe I should check myself_...and the thought left. Finally. Having peoples thoughts in my head was...weird. Weird and scary and awful. I hated it.

Then a thought occurred to me; what if the lightning _had_ been pinpointing me? What if it was trying to give this...defect to someone? What if...what if that lightning...this thing...was meant as a _gift_?


End file.
